Proud of Our Rainbow

We’re kicking off Pride Month with what else but an inspiring LGBTQ+ story.

Taylor Sheesh — the stage persona of Mac Coronel, the viral Filipino drag performer whose uncanny tribute to Taylor Swift captured the hearts of Swifties around the world — is the subject of an upcoming documentary, Taylor Sheesh: A Swiftie Love Story. The film is directed by acclaimed Filipino American filmmaker Ramona Diaz, whose award-winning documentaries include Imelda, Motherland, and A Thousand Cuts.

Why the shift from the weightier subjects Diaz is known for? As writer Mima Holt reports, the director explains: “I have always been drawn to spectacle, both big and small. Throughout my career, I have focused on stories about gender and identity. So when Mac Coronel, also known as Taylor Sheesh, captured my attention in 2024 during the widely publicized Eras Tour, I was immediately intrigued.”

Meanwhile, at the University of San Francisco, a major honor was bestowed on one of the most influential Filipino Americans of our time. Jose Antonio Vargas — the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, content creator, and tireless advocate for immigrant rights — received an honorary Doctor of Humane Studies degree, honoris causa. Widely recognized as one of the nation’s most courageous voices for undocumented immigrants, Vargas delivered a powerful commencement address to graduates of USF’s College of Arts and Sciences graduate school. We also invite readers to explore the conferment speech delivered by PF Publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco. ["To You, 'These Yet to Be United States'"]

As we celebrate Pride Month, we honor the contributions, resilience, and stories of LGBTQ+ members of our Filipino and Filipino American communities. We stand in solidarity with those working toward a more inclusive and equitable world, and we remain committed to amplifying voices that reflect the rich diversity of our community.

This Week’s Stories:

Taylor Sheesh, a Swiftie Love Story by Mima Holt

To You, ‘These Yet to Be United States’ by Jose Antonio Vargas

Cirio Siblings Prove Ballet Is Alive and Well by Anthony Maddela

[Read It Again]

Bourdain’s Last Famous Badass Words by Chef Claude Tayag

A Love Letter to My Dad and “Mom” by Nikki Vilas

My Father and Gay Pride by John L. Silva

[Partner] New Green Card Processing Rules Create Fear and Chaos in Immigrant Communities

[Video of the Week] Filipino labor leader Larry Itliong being remembered on Farmworkers’ Day

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In The Know

Olivia Rodrigo Tried Writing Love Songs. Then Life Got Messy.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/29/arts/music/olivia-rodrigo-new-album-interview-popcast.html?

Pinay Biotech Founder Using AI to Advance Medicine
https://www.facebook.com/reel/884155078050999

Knicks vs Spurs NBA Finals is historic Filipino Am representation
https://asamnews.com/2026/05/31/knicks-vs-spurs-nba-finals-is-historic-filipino-am-representation/

Jordan Clarkson and Dylan Harper on what it means to represent the Philippines
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DZGHdSbxFCJ/

DTI sees ube, calamansi as export 'rising stars' amid coconut gains
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/989675/dti-sees-ube-calamansi-as-export-rising-stars-amid-coconut-gains/story/?

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You Can Go Home Again

Among the many articles we publish at Positively Filipino, hometown stories remain some of the most meaningful. They carry a special kind of joy—rich with memory, community, and the small details that stay with us long after we’ve left. Over the years, we’ve gathered quite a collection, and we would love to keep them coming.

Take, for instance, today’s story from first-time contributor Connie Cagahastian Triggiano. She brings us to Paete, Laguna, known for its woodcarvings, and recalls the charm of the Tayangtang—a simple public bench at the heart of town. It was a daily gathering place for men, a space for camaraderie where conversations flowed freely—from lighthearted gossip to musings about life—often accompanied by hearty laughter.

The original bench, fondly called “Tayangtang ni Karyong Bado,” stood near the provincial bus stop, making it an ideal spot to observe the rhythm of town life. People came and went, stories were exchanged, and in many ways, it became Paete’s informal news center. As time passed, other tayangtangs appeared around town. In 1997, the tradition even found its way online, when a Paete native in Canada created the town’s first website, complete with a chat group that connected kababayans across distances.

Today, the physical Tayangtang may no longer exist, the town reshaped by changing times, migration, and the rise of social media. Yet its spirit endures. As Connie reflects, every message, call, shared photo, or online gathering among Paetenians carries echoes of that same longing—for home, for connection, for the familiar warmth of a place that shaped us.

This is why hometown stories matter, especially for those of us in the diaspora. They help us remember where we came from and keep us connected to the communities that formed us. They preserve traditions, voices, and memories that might otherwise fade with time. And they offer a way to share our heritage with younger generations, ensuring that these stories continue to live on.

We invite you to share your own memories of the places that cradled and molded you.

Write to us at submissions@positivelyfilipino.com.

This Week’s Stories:

Where Talk of the Town Got Done in Paete, Laguna by Connie Cagahastian Triggiano

Overseas Filipinos Achievers, Part 3 by Mona Lisa Yuchengco

Snack-Around-the-Clock with ‘Kakanin’ by Manuel Hizon

Eduard Bañez: From PH Media Host to PE Teacher in Hollywood by Rogelio Constantino Medina

[Read It Again]

The Hometowns of My Boyhood by Oscar Peñaranda

What Happened on Hacienda Street by George Deoso

Island in the Stream by Victor Peñaranda

[Video of the Week] 6 Delicious Pancit Recipes from the Philippines

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In The Know

California library to be named after Filipino writer Carlos Bulosan
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2210783/california-library-to-be-named-after-filipino-writer-carlos-bulosan?

‘Because you are Filipino’
https://verafiles.org/articles/because-you-are-filipino

At QC's Carinderia Sefali, A Filipina Cooks Palestinian Dishes The Way Her MIL Taught Her
https://www.spot.ph/eatdrink/the-latest-eat-drink/carinderia-sefali-quezon-city-a3284-20260408-bsc?

How budots broke the gates of Berghain
https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/567926/how-budots-broke-the-gates-of-berghain/?

Larry Itliong and the Great Delano Grape Strike

https://asamnews.com/2026/04/11/larry-itliong-delano-grape-strike-cesar-chavez/

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Looking Back

With everything coming out lately about Cesar Chavez, we’re starting this month by looking back at a major moment in labor history—the Delano Grape Strike (1965–1970). It’s often called the most successful farm labor strike in U.S. history, and it was led in large part by Filipino American organizers like Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz, alongside others.

The five-year strike led to better wages and health benefits for over 10,000 Filipino and Mexican farmworkers in California—and created the United Farm Workers (UFW). But beyond the headlines and hero narratives, it’s important to remember the real cost: workers gave up their income, stability, and daily survival just to keep the movement alive.

Fil-Am historian Alex Fabros Jr. honors those sacrifices in his piece, “The Historic Delano Grape Strike’s Sacrifices and Rewards.”

As conversations around Cesar Chavez continue to evolve, authors Craig Scharlin and Lilia V. Villanueva of the book Philip Vera Cruz: A Personal History of Filipino Immigrants and the Farmworkers Movement revisit their extensive interviews with the revered labor leader. Their reflections—shared in “On Cesar Chavez: We Need the Truth More Than We Need Heroes”—offer a more personal and nuanced look at Chavez through Vera Cruz’s eyes.

Also in this issue: Lilia V. Villanueva shares her experience visiting Margaha Beach in Old Sagay, Negros Occidental, where a laid-back mix of sun, food, and community came together with a local short film festival.

And if you’ve been online lately, you probably saw the buzz: the first trailer for “The Forgotten Island,” an upcoming DreamWorks Animation film, just dropped—and it’s already blowing up among Filipinos around the world. PF correspondent Anthony Maddela breaks down why this film has everyone talking.

[Read It Again]

Images of Semana Santa by Contributing Photographers

Marinduque's Mesmerizing Moriones by Wilma B. Consul

[Video of the Week] This Changed How I See Being Filipino Forever - Ink and Identity 

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In the Know

The Philippines fuel emergency is a textbook case of a warning hiding in official statistics

https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/philippines-fuel-emergency-textbook-case-warning-hiding-official-statistics?

Community pantry returns, this time for drivers hit by oil price hikes

https://www.rappler.com/philippines/community-pantry-returns-drivers-oil-price-hike/

Meet the stunning Fil-Ams competing for Miss Universe Philippines crown

https://usa.inquirer.net/192493/meet-the-stunning-fil-ams-competing-for-miss-universe-philippines-crown

Philippines scores poorly on work-life balance. Filipinos are not surprised

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3347635/philippines-scores-poorly-work-life-balance-filipinos-are-not-surprised?

Filipino farmworkers & LA County confront Chavez allegations

https://asamnews.com/2026/03/25/la-county-reviews-chavez-legacy-filipino-farmworkers-larry-itliong/?

Virtual Visita Iglesia Pilgrimage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vTocaN1U0I

MARILOU DIAZ-ABAYA: FILMMAKER ON A VOYAGE

In celebration of the life of Marilou Diaz-Abaya (b. Mar.30, 1955-d. Oct.8, 2012), National Artist of the Philippines for Film and Broadcast Arts, the full-length documentary on her life will be available on Youtube for a limited viewing playdate starting today on the occasion of her 71st birth anniversary. This documentary was produced, written and directed by Mona Lisa Yuchengco.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9AmOmRlPtY

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